An aircraft like a DH84 Dragon would only have fairly rudimentary flight instruments on boad (ca 1930s vintage) although the pilot might have had some sort of GPS device - which should ensure that, even if he was in cloud, he knew where he was.

An aircraft like a DH84 Dragon would only have fairly rudimentary flight instruments on boad (ca 1930s vintage) although the pilot might have had some sort of GPS device - which should ensure that, even if he was in cloud, he knew where he was.

Doesn't tell you which way is up though. I think a few circuits in cloud and he lost orientation and stalled in - or piled straight in under power, judging by the snapped trees.

An aircraft like a DH84 Dragon would only have fairly rudimentary flight instruments on boad (ca 1930s vintage) although the pilot might have had some sort of GPS device - which should ensure that, even if he was in cloud, he knew where he was.

If it is flying fare paying passengers then it will have better than 1930s instruments although they haven't changed a huge amount since then in terms of the basics. Disorientation is the common cause for crashing in IMC. Getting lost & hitting the scenery also sounds part of this.

I seem to remember an accident a while ago in a similar aircraft, where a harness buckle had got caught around the control column. It took some time for the AAIB to figure out what happened. There are some pretty bizarre causes of air accidents...

I never got further than a glider - considered the RAF after CCF but chose 'sensible' career instead (ha), probably not enough of a rugby-playing extrovert anyway - but really it's common sense coupled with years of aviation reading, instinct, empathy, and a good brain to interpret the facts. You don't have to be a pilot to form an intelligent view, though of course they would be able to add far more detail, especially the civil and military professionals on here.

Back on topic, I know it's bad form to ponder causes of crashes before investigation is complete but the challenge is to deduce it correctly.

Raging S'sou Easter about 30 knots wildly undulating terrain below, heavy showers, 10/10ths at 250 feet.Just a compass and little else. He set of his distress beacon before he went in. So they knew they were gone.They tracked the wreck via a mobile phone on the site. SAR had over flown the site the first day.Very distressing, I knew this aircraft and had met the owner/pilot. He flew Nancy Bird into the Archerfield Airshow in 2005 in this aircraft; now they are all gone, all three.